David Eyre

My research interests include the use of whole-genome sequencing as a tool for understanding the epidemiology and transmission of bacterial and fungal pathogens. My previous work has described the transmission of the major healthcare-associated pathogen Clostridium difficile and has also included large-scale sequencing projects tracking the spread of gonorrhoea and the emerging multi-drug resistant fungus Candida auris. I am currently working on developing mathematical models for pathogen transmission that allow risk factors for transmission to be identified, as a means to suggest potential interventions to prevent infections spreading.

I am also interested in using sequencing technologies as a novel tool for culture-independent microbiology diagnostics. These technologies offer the prospect of same-day diagnosis of infection, rather than having to wait several days for bacteria to grow in the lab. I have developed methods using sequencing data to detect the presence of infection, e.g. from  orthopedic devices removed from patients, as well as predict antibiotic resistance, e.g. in Enterobacteriaceae and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Additionally I work on using routinely collected healthcare data to investigate the epidemiology of infectious diseases and to investigate individual patient responses to infection and treatment.

I work closely with the Modernising Medical Microbiology consortium on several of these projects.